Point Books Toward We All Fall Down
| Original Title: | We All Fall Down |
| ISBN: | 0440215560 (ISBN13: 9780440215561) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Harry Flowers, Jane Jerome, Karen Jerome, Buddy Walker |
| Literary Awards: | California Young Readers Medal for Young Adult (1994) |
Robert Cormier
Paperback | Pages: 208 pages Rating: 3.81 | 2305 Users | 197 Reviews
Specify Out Of Books We All Fall Down
| Title | : | We All Fall Down |
| Author | : | Robert Cormier |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 208 pages |
| Published | : | August 1st 1993 by Laurel Leaf (first published 1991) |
| Categories | : | Young Adult. Fiction. Literature. Banned Books. Mystery. Teen |
Relation Conducive To Books We All Fall Down
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2We All Fall Down marks only the second Young Adult book that I’ve ever read and the first I’ve read by choice. The first novel, not surprising, was by the same author, which I read more than a decade ago--maybe closer to two decades--when I was trapped some place (I don’t even remember where) and Fade was the only book available. I liked enough of what I read in the time available that I later found another copy and finished the book. I’d remembered Robert Cormier’s name and some years back bought We All Fall Down. I had not been exploring the YA section but since there was nothing on the front cover to indicate otherwise, it had been shelved out of place. A contributing factor may have the back cover’s encapsulation of the book. It read like a crime novel. It’s part of the reason Cormier had been considered a controversial author. He tended to cover adult subjects in his YA books. He argued: “Every topic is open, however shocking. It is the way that the topics are handled that's important, and that applies whether it is a 15-year-old who is reading your book or someone who is 55.”
We All Fall Down opens with four teenagers vandalizing an upper middle class house with nobody home. That changes when the 14-year-old daughter returns alone at the wrong time. Immediately we witness how Cormier flirted with adult themes. Two of the boys hold her arms as the leader, older and more vicious, drops his pants. Angered when she fights back and then tries to run, he pushes her down the basement stairs, the results of which leave her in a coma. The fourth boy, the least culpable of the invaders, watches the encounter from start to finish from the second floor. The girl’s eyes find him and beg for help, and he is unable to move. We will follow him as he tries to deal with varying degrees of guilt.
The second of the three viewpoint characters is the family’s oldest daughter, two years older than her sister. What was done to her house, and particularly to her room, disrupts her life at a critical time in her emotional development. The final player is a voyeur who had convinced himself that he was part of this house, of this family. He witnesses the entire event and--as he'd already christened himself “The Avenger” when prowling--he swears vengeance. His revenge, however, has a significant hurdle to overcome. As the first sentence from one of his early scenes explains:
The problem with being an eleven-year-old Avenger was just that: being eleven years old and an Avenger.
Because the main characters each carry what seems to them to be substantial and deep-seated anguish (or at least the two that do not consider themselves an avenger do), it’s natural to suspect what follows will be a novel of introspection. While teenagers and angst tend to mix well in fiction, the story does open out include families and, in some cases, the past. There is movement, and through cause and effect their worlds begin to intersect, all in believable and interesting ways. But eventually it will wind down to only these three, initially a confrontation between just two of them, but with results that will deeply affect the third.
Which is where, had I not been so invested, I might have had cause to be wary. The other primary reason Robert Cormier was considered controversial was that things often did not turn out well for his protagonists. Not only did they not win, they often lost. Often suffered losses. I felt the conclusion rendered here was appropriate. “Happily Ever After” and “Deep Tragedy” need not be the only choices. We All Fall Down finds satisfaction somewhere in the middle.
Rating Out Of Books We All Fall Down
Ratings: 3.81 From 2305 Users | 197 ReviewsCrit Out Of Books We All Fall Down
Read for Banned Books WeekI had to go to some effort to get a copy to read since my county library didn't have one. The book opens with a malicious home invasion and incidental attack of a teen. The rest of the story concerns several characters' reaction to that episode of violence, but throws in every bit of teen angst that Cormier could come up with as well. I really didn't like this book at all. I finished it because I wanted to understand why it was so beloved by some readers. While theI liked this book because there was always something happening in the book to keep you interested. My favorite character was buddy because he was the main character and even though he acted like a bad kid you could tell he was a good kid at heart. One theme i noticed in the book was that you should never lie because buddy lied and that didn't do anything good for him. I think this book should be taught in public high schools just because its a really good interesting book and i would recommend
I thought this was a great book. It has all the weird twists and turns that you don't expect a book to contain. I believe that this book should be taught at a high school level because it shows how some people are in this world and that everyone has things in there life that you'd never expect until you get to know them more.I would recommend this book to friends knowing that they would be hooked like I was. When rereading some parts of the book you start to get a better understanding of the
The audience is the most perplexing element of this book which though marketed to YA seems more to tempt that audience with promised (and delivered) violence while also speaking to an adult audience with another voice entirely.A Clockwork Orange meets Judy Blume with not the most appealing, or writerly, depictions of violence, violation, and threat. Ultimately describes the inability of parents (or anyone) to really know the minds or lives of the generations either side if them.
I really liked this book, it surprised me that I did, but one of the better YA books, not sure why it never gets any attention.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2We All Fall Down marks only the second Young Adult book that Ive ever read and the first Ive read by choice. The first novel, not surprising, was by the same author, which I read more than a decade ago--maybe closer to two decades--when I was trapped some place (I dont even remember where) and Fade was the only book available. I liked enough of what I read in the time available that I later found another copy and finished the book. Id remembered Robert Cormiers name and some years
This book takes at least 10 years of my life FULL REVIEW From the very start, right from the first lines, Cormier sets the tone for this book. And I just knew this book would upset me. And man, was I right! After I finished it, I wanted to scream cause I was frustrated and mad beyond words. Well, I guess I actually did scream. But the emotions that this book manages to raise, make it such an incredible and unforgettable journey and I'm sure this book will stick with me for a very long time. I
0 Comments